Tyler Servis opens New York division in attempt to improve stable
OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Looking to build on past success on this circuit while also hoping to build a broader client base, Parx Racing-based trainer Tyler Servis has taken stalls in New York for the winter.
Servis was allotted seven stalls at Belmont Park, where all local runners are based during Aqueduct, since that track no longer has training. Servis currently has three horses at Belmont with Perfect Day, a first-out winner at Penn National on Wednesday, and a recently purchased unraced New York-bred 2-year-old on their way.
Servis, the 30-year-old son of trainer John Servis, has four wins from 19 starters on the NYRA circuit – including a 3-for-11 record at Aqueduct. He has a runner-up finish in the Birdstone Stakes with Shooger Ray Too, his lone starter at Saratoga. Shooger Ray Too is expected to start in next Sunday’s $125,000 Queens County Stakes here.
“I’ve been here at Parx two years and really haven’t generated much business,” said Servis, who has 13 horses based at Parx, including Midnight Chrome who finished third in Aqueduct’s Grade 2 Remsen Stakes. “I’ve been pretty successful shipping up to that New York circuit. I thought maybe making that switch and moving a couple of horses could generate some new business and hopefully we can keep that good percentage going.”
Sunday, Servis will start Semper Fidelis in a first-level allowance race that serves as the Aqueduct feature. Semper Fidelis, previously trained by Saffie Joseph Jr., is coming off a third-place finish in a six-furlong allowance at Parx in his first start for Servis.
“I think stretching him out to a one-turn mile is going to benefit him a ton,” Servis said. “He does have some talent. Unfortunately, that’s a pretty salty race, so he’s going to have bring his A game.”
Shooger Ray Too finished second to Lone Rock at odds of 22-1 in the Birdstone Stakes in August. He then finished a well-beaten sixth in the Greenwood Cup on Sept. 25 at Parx.
“In my opinion, that Birdstone really took a lot out of the horses that ran in that race,” said Servis, noting that Lone Rock and Moretti both were beaten in their subsequent starts. “He did bleed in the Greenwood Cup. I think that Saratoga trip took a lot out of the top three horses, so hopefully he can bounce back off that.”
One horse Servis hopes to run during the Aqueduct meet is the New York-bred Bank On Shea. At 2, Bank On Shea won the $500,000 Great White Way division of the New York Stallion Series when trained by Jason Servis, Tyler’s uncle. This year, Bank On Shea won an allowance race at Aqueduct and the Affirmed Success Stakes at Belmont, both for Tyler Servis.
Servis said Bank On Shea is currently at the Palm Meadows training center with Carlos David, but he is expected to ship to New York to run at some stage this winter.